‘Air of confidence’ as region’s plans near fruition

To hear Jo Sheppard tell it, Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport has the city on the runway to success at national and international levels.

Wagners director John Wagner, above, says Toowoomba’s airport could double flights within a few years, given the rural industry in its Darling Downs region and city growth. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

To hear Jo Sheppard tell it, Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport has the city on the runway to success at national and international levels.

Sheppard, chief executive of the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, says Wellcamp, the $200 million private concern of the Wagner family, is changing agriculture, mining, health and aged care, education and defence as Toowoomba, population 118,000, grows as a hub for southern Queensland.

Sheppard says having the airport means more senior executives are choosing to live in Toowoomba as the air connectivity to Sydney, Melbourne and overseas adds to the Garden City’s attractions. “That connectivity is great for the liveability of the city and makes it a more attractive place to live,’’ Sheppard says.

The airport has also opened the city more to interstate visitors for such events Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers and Polo in the Park. “They can now come by plane and stay for the weekend,’’ she says.

The airport itself is going gangbusters, according to John Wagner, a director of Wagners, who built it as an arm of his influential family’s business. He says: “The airport [which opened in late 2014] is going very well. It’s been making money now for over three years, so it’s profitable.’’

Four airlines, Qantas, Airnorth, Rex and Cathay Pacific, whose jumbo freighter comes in every Tuesday, make the airport’s 89 weekly flights and, Wagner says, “once the pilot shortage is overcome we’ll have more flights. I would expect within a few years we’ll have a couple of hundred flights a week out of Wellcamp.’’

The airport is one of nine that Qantas is considering for a new pilot-training facility and Wagner says Flight Training Adelaide has signed up to build a new facility at Wellcamp because it has outgrown its headquarters in South Australia.

“They’re starting with 50-odd students in September.’’

The Cathay freighter gives businesses “the conduit to get their product to market. [For beef exports] from the time the beast is killed to the time it gets to market is less than 24 hours,’’ Wagner says.

“We get freight in from as far north as Bowen. We send a lot of milk powder out of Wellcamp, a lot of mining gear, gas turbines are sent overseas for overhauls, jet engines,’’ he says.

“That all goes to Hong Kong, China Thailand Taiwan … the Middle East is a big market for us. The US and the UK. It’s amazing what goes out on that aircraft.’’

The airport has helped attract two major investments in Toowoomba: a $500m shopping centre and a $350m milk factory.

Wagner says “we’ve had a milk factory approved and we got that specifically because of the airport. It’s initially to send milk powder to China and the Middle East, then stage two is to send a couple of jumbo loads [at 100 tonnes per plane] of fresh milk a day.’’

Federal Regional Development Minister Dr John McVeigh, the LNP member for the Darling Downs seat of Groom, has lent his weight to a push for Wellcamp to host the Qantas pilot-training facility.

McVeigh is also seeking more flights at Wellcamp.

He says “the establishment of the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport has been a game-changer in terms of opening up our region to the world and now that we have that, I am determined to see that grow further over time”.

Kialla Pure Foods managing director Quentin Kennedy says Wellcamp has cut travel times. Executives and visitors can board at Wellcamp for interstate flights.

“It makes Toowoomba more attractive from an investment point of view because for companies wanting to get out of the inner city, there are lower land and labour costs and they can get easily to Melbourne and Sydney,’’ he says.

Managing director of vegetable farming and processing operation Story Fresh, Geoffrey Story, had produce on the first international freight flight out of Wellcamp in late 2015 and is looking forward to sending more to Asia when frequency increases. “Absolutely that will be part of the future for us,’’ he says.

Wagner says: “This region has really got an air of confidence that I don’t think you’ll see anywhere else in Australia.

“Not just the airport but we’ve got the Second Range Crossing nearing completion, which means you’ll go from our airport to Brisbane in an hour and 20 minutes. We’ve got Inland Rail coming by the airport and we’ve committed to build a $60m multi-modal transport hub at the airport.’’

Wagner family members, including John and brothers Denis, Neill and Joe, were inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame this month.